Bay Area Saint Bernard wins hearts, not ribbons, at agility nationals

HALF MOON BAY -- Snitch, the Saint Bernard from Half Moon Bay who competes in agility contests, isn't coming home from nationals with a big ribbon. But she was a hit at the American Kennel Club Agility Invitational in Orlando last weekend.

"She's a very popular dog when she runs because she's so unusual at these agility events," said owner Jann Hayes. "Saint Bernards always are the center of attention."

Snitch, who is 5 years old and weighs 105 pounds, ended up 112th of 142 dogs entered in the tallest breed category. She also finished second out of the only three Saint Bernards who were invited to the event.

Just the top 10 dogs advanced to the finals, based on how fast and accurately they navigated four runs through obstacle courses with the guidance of their owners.

"It's very, very difficult for a Saint Bernard to make the finals because they're just not as fast as the other breeds," Hayes said. "We also didn't have any clean runs. But you could tell that she had a lot of fun."